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517:, which was called Lake House from which he derived the name of the holding company Lake House Group owned by Wijewardena which brought together his different publications which included the Fergusons Ceylon Directory. He started several buses to deliver papers to remotes parts of the island and providing public service in turn. Wijewardena expanded his personal holdings having acquired the Landscape Estate in Latpandura and Acadia in Diyatalawa.
95:
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Wijewardena inherited some of his family estates and landholdings, which provided for a comfortable private income which meant that he was not completely dependent on legal practice for an income. This meant that he spent some time managing these assets, while practicing as an advocate. He did not
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and Helena
Weerasinghe. He lost his father at a very young age and was raised by his mother. His brothers were Don Philip Alexander, Don Lewis, Don Charles, Don Edmund, Don Albert and Don Walter and his sisters were Harriot who married Dr Arthur Seneviratne and Agnes Helen who married Justice
491:, with the first issue coming out on 3 January 1918, Wijewardena set about making it the premier morning paper in the island, by increasing its quality in both content and print as well as expanding its distribution cross the island. He soon bought its primary competition
513:(ANCL) which would publish seven newspapers Dinamina, Silumina (Sinhalese), Daily News, the Observer, Sunday Observer (English), Thinakaran and Sunday Thinakaran (Tamil). ANCL shifted its operations to a purpose-built building along the banks of the
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was named
Wijewardena Hall in his honor. He bequeathed a large number of Buddhist books to the university library and funded several scholarships. McCallum Road in Colombo was renamed D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha.
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he established played a major role in the pre and post independence era becoming a powerful media influence in Ceylon, resulting in its being taken over by the government under the
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where it was kept since the surrender of the
Kingdom to the British in 1815. The recovered banner became a focal point in the independence movement and it became the flag of the
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D.R.Wijewardena along with another Sri Lankan freedom fighter E.W.Perera, successfully traced the banner of the last King of Sri Lanka. It subsequently became the flag of the
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and remains to this day the government owned print media publishing house. A strong proponent for a university in Ceylon, he was one of the founders of the
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392:. As a young advocate, Wijewardena to an active role in the local movements for constitutional change. In 1913 he was elected secretary of the
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Wijewardena received his primary education at the
Sedavatta School after which like all his brothers, completed his secondary education at
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before moving to a house at De Saram Place, Maradane and finally settling at
Warrington at Braybrook Place. He purchased and developed
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774:"121st birth anniversary of D. R. Wijewardene falls today: Lake House and D. R. Wijewardene: The informative and the pragmatist"
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he agitated for constitutional reform and self-rule. He became the joint-secretary of the Ceylon Reform League along with
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297::දොන් රිච්ඩ් විජෙවර්ධන) (23 February 1886 – 13 June 1950) was a Sri Lankan media proprietor who was involved in the
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until resigning in 1917 on principle after he was reprimanded by his commanding officer for inviting the outspoken
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340:. There he developed his interest in politics and met famous personalities such as future leaders of India like
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602:. They had two sons, Ranjith and Seewali; three daughters, Nalini, Rani and Kusuma. The family lived first at
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He married Alice
Gertrude Ruby Meedeniya on 26 January 1916 at the Meedeniya Walauwa, she was the daughter of
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together with his brother D. C. Wijewardena. He thereafter in 1917 bought the
English-language daily
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which had been founded in 1834 for Rs 100,000. In 1926, these newspapers where consolidated under
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practice law for long, turning towards business activities instead. In 1914, he acquired the
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576:. He would later organise a second deputation too. He was also instrumental in starting the
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traced the location of the banner of last King Sri
Vikrama Rajasinghe, the last king of the
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614:, while Rani married George Gomes and Kusuma married Lal Gooneratne. One of his grandsons
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Sri Lankan media proprietor and leader in the Sri Lankan independence movement (1886-1950)
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D. R. Wijewardena was born as the third male child of seven sons and two daughters of
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Wijewardena was in touch with local events and organised the first deputation to the
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Associated
Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Special Provisions) Law No. 28 of 1973
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and
Corneliya Magdeline Senanayake who was the niece of Lambertus Obeyesekere,
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396:, marking his formal entry into politics and together with its President Sir
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935:. Peradeniya Medical School Alumni Association of the United Kingdom
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Tudugalage Don Philip Wijewardene, a timber merchant of Sedavatta,
879:"D.R. Wijewardene: Trailblazer of the Lankan publishing industry"
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748:"D. R. Wijewardene – trail blazer in local newspaper industry"
495:. This was followed by the purchase of the publication of a
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and played a significant role in the independence movement.
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568:. To this seat majority of the Ceylonese elected Sir
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as the family retreat. His daughters Nalini married
481:for Rs 16,000, and paid of its debt of Rs 5,000 to
376:Returning to Ceylon in 1912, he took oaths as an
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903:Tribute to the men who gave us the National Flag
344:, Bepin Chandra Pal, Surendranath Banerji and
301:. A successful entrepreneur, he established
1043:Ceylonese military personnel of World War I
1038:Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia
431:in 1913. Mobilized for war service during
93:
800:"Old Thomians who rallied round the boss"
413:Basnayaka Nilame Vs Attorney General case
69:Learn how and when to remove this message
622:on several occasions and eventually the
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32:This article includes a list of general
688:List of political families in Sri Lanka
648:Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited
511:Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited
419:. Wijewardena gained a commission as a
303:Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited
226:Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited
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963:D. R. Wijewardene – an unassumed hero
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411:In 1915, he took part in the notable
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558:Secretary of State for the Colonies
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384:and started his legal practice at
38:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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560:with H. J. C. Pereira along with
678:Sri Lankan independence movement
673:Sri Lankan independence activist
626:and His brother-in-law was Sir
404:, when it was formed in 1917 by
299:Sri Lankan independence movement
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1033:Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge
926:"University of Peradeniya 1954"
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553:upon its independence in 1948.
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171:Don Philip Wijewardana (Father)
1048:Ceylon Light Infantry officers
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968:Remembering D. R. Wijewardene
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566:Legislative Council of Ceylon
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1023:Sri Lankan mass media owners
993:National Heroes of Sri Lanka
829:The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)
683:National Heroes of Sri Lanka
336:He then went on to study at
163:Two sons and Three daughters
7:
1028:Members of the Inner Temple
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620:Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
479:Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam
406:Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam
394:Ceylon National Association
348:. He was a contemporary of
173:Helena Weerasinghe (Mother)
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864:D.R. rises to the occasion
441:legislative council member
324:Eugene Wilfred Jayewardene
199:S. Thomas' College, Mutwal
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331:St. Thomas College Mutwal
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843:"Working towards reform"
505:. In 1923, he purchased
352:After graduating with a
831:Retrieved 23 April 2015
723:"D.R. Wijewardene life"
382:Supreme Court of Ceylon
291:Don Richard Wijewardena
203:University of Cambridge
111:Don Richard Wijewardana
87:Don Richard Wijewardena
53:more precise citations.
825:Working towards reform
636:President of Sri Lanka
624:President of Sri Lanka
570:Ponnambalam Ramanathan
547:Royal Hospital Chelsea
537:D. R. Wijewardena and
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1008:Sri Lankan barristers
612:Esmond Wickremesinghe
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521:Independence movement
425:Ceylon Light Infantry
346:Gopal Krishna Gokhale
338:Peterhouse, Cambridge
279:Ceylon Light Infantry
257:Years of service
1018:Sri Lankan Buddhists
958:Wijewardene Ancestry
656:University of Ceylon
616:Ranil Wickremasinghe
251:Ceylon Defence Force
1013:Ceylonese advocates
608:Arcadia, Diyatalawa
579:Temperance movement
1053:Wijewardena family
1003:Sri Lankan lawyers
572:against Sir (Dr.)
551:Dominion of Ceylon
535:
531:Dominion of Ceylon
493:Ceylon Independent
485:. Renaming it the
446:for dinner at the
444:O. C. Tillekeratne
632:J. R. Jayewardene
488:Ceylon Daily News
435:, he served as a
421:Second Lieutenant
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802:. Archived from
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628:Francis Molamure
596:Meedeniya Adigar
543:Kingdom of Kandy
483:F. R. Senanayake
458:Media proprietor
452:Echelon Barracks
415:that led to the
358:Bachelor of Laws
354:Bachelor of Arts
232:Military service
213:Media proprietor
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121:23 February 1886
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102:Personal details
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448:officer's mess
429:volunteer unit
402:W. A. de Silva
390:Unofficial Bar
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562:E. W. Perera
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539:E. W. Perera
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507:The Observer
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398:James Peiris
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372:Early career
366:Inner Temple
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178:Residence(s)
135:(1950-06-13)
133:13 June 1950
80:
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59:October 2019
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37:
988:1950 deaths
983:1886 births
841:Gaveshaka.
433:World War I
142:Nationality
51:introducing
977:Categories
939:2 February
888:2 February
883:Daily News
694:References
515:Beira Lake
502:Thinakaran
437:Lieutenant
417:1915 riots
386:Hulftsdorp
315:Muhandiram
309:Early life
269:Lieutenant
237:Allegiance
209:Occupation
194:Alma mater
117:1886-02-23
34:references
933:pemsaa.uk
362:barrister
260:1915-1917
222:Known for
168:Parent(s)
146:Ceylonese
727:Silumina
667:See also
582:and the
470:Dinamina
378:advocate
160:Children
545:to the
465:Sinhala
450:at the
423:in the
388:in the
380:of the
364:at the
319:Colombo
295:Sinhala
187:Arcadia
47:improve
849:8 July
810:28 May
784:28 May
758:28 May
732:5 June
642:Legacy
590:Family
499:daily
356:and a
241:Ceylon
216:Lawyer
152:Spouse
36:, but
929:(PDF)
477:from
941:2021
890:2021
851:2022
812:2013
786:2013
760:2013
734:2021
646:The
275:Unit
265:Rank
130:Died
107:Born
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